Clos de L'Oratoire des Papes 2023 | Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge

Clos de L’Oratoire des Papes is an emblematic property in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, managed under the stewardship of Maison Ogier (established in 1859).

The estate takes its name from an 18th-century oratory dedicated to Saint Marc, built on the edge of a vineyard where local winegrowers would pray for protection over their crops. In 1926, wine broker Edouard Amouroux registered the brand and designed the famous art-deco label that remains in use today.

The estate covers roughly 25 hectares of old vines (averaging ~50 years of age). The plots are spread across all four main soil types of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC:

• Galets Roulés: Large, smooth quartzite stones that retain daytime heat and radiate it back to the vines at night, encouraging full grape ripeness.
• Red Clay: Provides structure, power, and deep color.
• Sand: Yields floral aromatics, delicacy, and silky finesse.
• Limestone: Imparts fresh acidity and chalky minerality.

Maison Ogier focuses on a traditional yet refined approach aimed at preserving the freshness of Grenache while ensuring structural aging potential.

Grapes are hand-harvested at optimal maturity and rigorously sorted to ensure only pristine fruit enters the winery. The grapes are 100% destemmed before crushing.

Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled concrete vats and wooden foudres. Different varietals are often co-fermented (fermented together in the same vat) rather than blended later, encouraging harmonious integration of fruit, tannin, and aromatics from the start.

Maceration typically lasts 3 to 4 weeks with gentle pump-overs (remontage) and occasional cap-punching (pigeage) to extract silky, fine-grained tannins rather than harsh astringency.

The wine is aged for 10 to 12 months before bottling. The maturation uses a combination of large oak foudres, truncated oak vats (cuves tronconiques), and neutral concrete tanks. Maison Ogier minimizes the use of small new oak barrels for this cuvée, ensuring the wood frame supports the natural fruit without overpowering it with oak flavor.